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Fish and Wildlife

Photo by A. Reding, 2014

The Lake Whatcom Watershed is home to a variety of fish and wildlife species. As a result of years of habitat loss and development within the Lake Whatcom Watershed, several species that once lived in the watershed are no longer found here and many other species that currently live in the watershed may also be in danger.

Fish

Lake Whatcom supports a variety of fish including native and introduced, cold and warm water species. Some fish species that can be found in Lake Whatcom include:

Salmonids:

Kokanee (Native) (Oncorhyncus nerka)

Cutthroat trout (Native) (Oncorhyncus clarkia)

Other:

Longnose sucker (Native) (Catostomus catostomus)

Peamouth chub (Native) (Mylocheilus caurinus)

Largemouth bass (Illegally introduced) (Micropterus salmoides)

Brown bullhead (Illegally introduced) (Ictalurus nebulosis)

Wildlife

Lake Whatcom supports a large variety of wildlife species but many of these are considered to be "species of interest" because there is concern over the future of their populations in the area due to habitat loss. Several of the species that have been recorded in and around Lake Whatcom are included below.